2008.10.14 @ 18:38

It's hard to believe the time passes so quickly, but as October creeps steadily closer, the world's largest outdoor furry convention, also the most affordable out there, is just around the corner! Online registration has only 75 days left at http://oklacon.com/

Hosted in a gorgeous canyon in Roman Nose State Park in Oklahoma, Oklacon offers a refreshing alternative to hotel-based furry conventions. With plenty of outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, stargazing, and outdoor games, we're quite a change of place to the same-ol', same-ol' experience of most furry cons. If the warm glow of a crackling campfire set under the dark, starry skies sounds like your idea of a great weekend, then we're just what you're looking for. :)

We also have a fully-fledged Dealer's Den and Artist Alley which offer everything from fursuiting studios to comic/book distributors to professional artists. Our Guests of Honor Bucktown Tiger and Myenia have some awesome stuff in store for you, and we have a full-fledged musical, Julie Bunnie Must Die!, which will be performed live! This year's theme is based around all things Steampunk, so it's time to dust off those top hats and pull out your monocles and join us for a great time in the great outdoors!

If you've heard about us before but have never taken the plunge, make this year your first! Cabins and lodge rooms are sold out, but we still have motel rooms, tent spaces, and 74 FREE A-Frame sleeping bunks still open for the taking. We attract furs mostly from KS, OK, TX, CO, NM, AR, MO, and LA, but we've had those as far away as Germany attend.

We would ESPECIALLY love to welcome our Louisiana neighbor-furs. Last year we had quite a few LA furs come out, so finding a ride shouldn't be too hard! Feel free to use our rideshare forum or our "Map of Who's Coming" to help identify people to share costs with, and join us! We would love to find other visual or performing artists from your community to add to our panel selection at this year's convention -- if you know anyone who might be interested, please have them drop us a line to registration [at] oklacon |dot| com :)

-= That Time of the Year =-Yep, Winter is here again in Columbus. The snow's blowing, folks are travelling, and everything's just plain cold. For you thinner furred among us, there is no better time to use the weather as an excuse to cuddle up next to your other half. For those with thicker coats, see you on the snowball field!

Why Furries in Wonderland?The movie coming out was definitely a consideration, it adds a bit of timeliness to the choice. Another factor was that Alice In Wonderland is an excellent source to mine for inspiration. I think it's important for a convention theme to be visible to the con attendees. The theme should manifest itself in many ways throughout the convention. It should add a noticeable flair to aspects of the convention, things like decorations, content of performance events, t-shirts, etc. Alice in Wonderland is a great source for inspiration. There's so many iconic characters, places, and things from it. Everyone recognizes the phrase "Off with their heads" and understands the context that it comes from. In that sense Alice in Wonderland adds a lot of symbols that we can draw from to communicate the theme to the attendees.

Hasn't it been done before at other cons?It has, but that shouldn't stop us from revisiting a good theme. Besides, we at Morphicon are going to do the theme in our own special way. Hopefully even better than when it was done in the past! There's also the issue of the sheer number of conventions now, it's practically impossible to avoid repeats. I believe the year before we did Inner City Critters that another nearby convention did Urban Furs.

Any ideas on what special events (outside the norm) we may have?Well Morphicon always has the Atomic Battle of Doom, which is a nerf and foam boffer melee like none other. It's really kind of crazy to watch, and every year it gets bigger. There's also the free food which is always popular, and we might do something with an 'unbirthday' event, but there's nothing set in stone for that yet. We are still quite a ways out from the convention proper.

Is there anything else you'd like to add while I have you here?I would definitely recommend the Spectacle of Doom to anyone who likes adult humor. It's a bit raunchy, but always a ton of laughs. Trickster does the writing every year, and I honestly think it only gets better each time. I'd also like to point out the charity quiz show that Trickster hosted last year. We'll be doing that again, and it was a big smash, so I'd encourage everyone to attend. Even if you don't get selected to play the audience can participate in the game. Besides, there's nothing more funny than seeing some poor confused fur try to remember what species Zig-Zag is.

As a last bit, and we haven't 100% finalized this yet, we should be having Frozen Oasis as an official convention event in place of the Friday dance. There's still some scheduling considerations that we need to figure out, but chances are they'll have the entire Adam's room (yes the far one near the lobby that nobody can find) for the party.

-= Tips for Travel =-Seeing as more than a few of us will be on the move this season, and don't have a pack of sled dogs living next to us, we would like to offer a few tips for travelling. Please don't use this as a comprehensive list, this should just be used as a heads-up. To see a complete list of recommendations, please see www.TSA.gov if you plan to fly or www.Ohio.gov for trips by auto.

If travelling by plane, please arrive at the ticket counter at least 90 minutes early. The closer we get to Christmas, the longer the wait to pass through security. Also, you will need to remove your shoes and empty your pockets before passing through to the boarding area. If you plan on bringing a laptop it will need to be separate from other carry-on baggage. Lastly, you will not be able to bring your own beverages past the screening area. Bottled water and other refreshments should be available on the other side.

If travelling by car or truck is more your thing, keep in mind any, and every, thing can happen. In addition to your usual gear (jack, properly inflated spare tire, etc), you'll also want to add a nice, warm blanket to the list. A warm set of sock and waterproof boots aren't a bad idea if you have the room. A small amount of food and water is recommended in the event you're in less travelled areas. Lastly, if you have one, make sure your cell phone is properly charged.

Hopefully these recommendations will all be unnecessary. In the event they are not, however, we hope they will help to ensure you and yours have a safe and happy holiday season.

-= Panels, Here! Get Your Hot Panels! =-With Morphicon only being a three day event, and with the large number of panels to choose from, we, your staff, would love to have your opinion on what you would like to see or attend at this year's con. We want to make Morphicon 2011 the best we can and, for that, we require your input. Art and gaming panels will again be present, as will writing and crafting panels. Spirituality and SIG's are both good bets, also. The question is, what would you like to see? Give us your raves and rants for panels past and tell us what you would like to include if we don't have it already. Until the new website is up and running, feel free to send your comments and ideas to programming @ morphicon.org and we'll make sure they get to the correct Track Head.

-= Frozen Fur Balls Con't =-We are still working on having a fursuit bowling event. Though we would like to have it in January, it appears we will be shooting for sometime in February. A poll will be posted online soon so a date can be decided and registration will be necessary so we can get an accurate number for a group rate. Unlike the picnic, this will not be a free event. That's not to say something special might not be done, however. Stay tuned for more information or contact publicity @ morphicon.org? if you have any questions or ideas.

-= Still Searching for Artists - Now With Incentives! =-Woohoo! We're getting art! But a few pictures doth not a conbook make. As always, we are looking for art for the various publications we put out and would love to see what you can come up with. Any donated art will have that artist's name put into a random drawing for a Morphicon t-shirt from years past! Your contribution will be appreciated and mentioned, but now you could also get some cool swag! Send any and all submissions to publicity @ morphicon.org!

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It's been forever since I've been to the zoo down in New Orleans, and I've been itching to go again!! So since I have Sunday, September 26th off, I thought I'd set up a meet ^^

I figured we would meet up about Noon?? That should give us about 5 hours to wander around and enjoy all the animals ^^ I suppose we'll all meet outside the front gate, we'll wait as long as 12:15. I know we probably won't all stay together through the zoo, as everybody has different interests in what they would like to see :)

Admission is $13.50 to get into the zoo.

I'd eat beforehand, or plan to eat at the zoo. The zoo actually seems to have some yummy offerings to nom!! We will also eat dinner afterwords.

So after we wander the zoo for a while, I figured we'd meet up again at 5PM outside the zoo gates, and we'll decide what to eat :) I don't know what is really in that area... I'll leave that up to others ^^

Tails, collars, and badges would be welcomed I'd say... But fursuits may not be welcome, so leave your heads at home xD Also, leave leashes, handcuffs, ect at home as well, please remember that even though we are adults, this is a family environment we'll be visiting.

If your looking for me, look for the lavender and white bunny husky tail ^^ I'm sure you won't be able to miss our group!! I hope to see you guys soon!!

-= Morphicon End-of-Summer Picnic =-Yes, fellow furs, it is that time of year to once again look forward to the Morphicon picnic. As in previous years, the picnic will be held at Sharon Woods Metro Park, just north-east of Columbus, and on September 4th. While we understand this is Labour Day weekend, we also know it'll be a great excuse for having to take off Friday from work if "necessary"!Food, of course, will be gratis, however, if there is anything in particular you would like or want to share with the group please feel free to bring it along. Food donations will also be happily accepted. Activities will include all the amenities the park has to offer, with the addition of horseshoes, frisbee, wiffle ball, and Pictionary. Should you have any events you would like to see please let us know.With the date still a month away we have plenty of time for flexibility. If you would like to bring any food or something else to do, please send an e-mail to publicity @ morphicon.org and we will get back to you. Information and directions to the park can be found here: Sharon Woods Metro Park. See you there!

-= The Woollybear Festival is Coming! =-Vermilion, Ohio is once again preparing for the 38th Annual Woollybear Festival & Parade, the largest one-day gathering in the state! On September 26th, thousands will flock the quaint town of Vermilion, located on the shores of Lake Erie. Events will include the parade, music, games, fair food, and more! For more information on the festival, please see the Woollybear Festival home page.Morphicon has traditionally played a part in the festivities and would like to do so again this year. If you would like to participate, please send a e-mail to publicity @ morphicon.org so we can get in touch with you and coordinate. Please note, this is a family festival and while ears, tails, and fursuits are welcome, anything stronger than G-rated is highly discouraged.

-= Calling All Artists =-We are always looking for art for various publications we put out. If you have anything you would like to donate, please don't hesitate to let us know. Submissions can always be sent to publicity @ morphicon.org at any time.Right now, we are requesting art for our Furry Trackers Guide, a booklet for con-goers, showing various locations were one might procure food, access an ATM, etc. The art should reflect this year's theme of Furries in Wonderland, with a focus on a specific section. Please feel free to send any questions and artwork to Lightpaws. We can't guarantee we can use all the art but your contribution will be mentioned nonetheless.

Want to see additional content or have something to say about the latest newsletter? Please visit the enhanced HTML version at Morphicon.org and let us know what you think!

Hello all! I'm Mallory, aka Jade, I'm 23 years old and I've been in and out of the fandom for the past ten or eleven years. I'm originally from Metairie, LA, but I've relocated to Lafayette. Yech. I'm super excited to find a community for Louisiana furs, and I hope to meet some, if not all of you!

Hiiii :) I'm not a LA Fur... but I will be there for 3 days this month! :) visit me? My job sends me to a convention a few times a year, and this time around they are sending me to New Orleans! :) I arrive on the 27th and leave on the 30th... would anyone like to visit me? *wags* I will not have a car, and can't rent one :( Most likely I will have to stay around the town where public transit can take me, and only be free at late nights or early mornings.. I'll have a schedule next week.. I'll be staying at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (500 Canal Street. New Orleans, Louisiana 70130)